If the U.S. military was less technologically sophisticated, like our enemies, would we still beat them?

Question

I mean look at what happened in Vietnam? Is our strength really because we have the bravest and most intelligent men serving for us, as the military propoganda machine would have us believe, or is it because the machinery and weapons that our military relies on is the best in the world? I know that this is going to offend some people but I would like an honest answer and not a PATRIOTIC delusional answer. Thanks, in advanced.

Answer 1

I hate hypothetical questions but yes we would beat them.

Answer 2

I'll accept your question as being an honest request. Therefore, let me answer from an insider's point of view. My son is a Captain in the Army who has seen two tours in IRAQ. In order to win a war you have to get it done on the ground. Certainly the best technology is welcomed and the troops are in favor of using it to its fullest. However, if your troops aren't trained and committed to their goals it is hard to imagine a military can accomplish their objectives. The will to win is of the utmost importance. I think that was very evident during the first IRAQI war. When confronted by a well trained military we saw a vast number of IRAQ troops turning and rounding. In the end the key to an effective military is what happens on the ground.

Answer 3

As politically incorrect as it is to question what you have just questioned, there is a sad truth in your inquiry that must be addressed. Yes, I do believe that if the United States were to fight other militaries and terrorist organization, in this day and age, using the same weaponry and machinery as them then we would most probably lose the battle. I believe, like any society that becomes far more technological advanced in comparison to its adversaries, we have become so reliant on the latest innovations in weaponry, that we have substituted technological sophistication for raw aggressiveness and strategy.

The fact that you bring up Vietnam is interesting. Back then, given that the North Vietnamese were being supplied by the Russians, who were a superpower equal in military might to the U.S, we found that the United States was not as invincible as the image we like to project to the rest of the world. Our casualty rate rivaled our enemy.

Now jump over thirty years later and the technological disparity between us, and our current enemy (i.e. Al Qaeda, the Taliban, and Iraqi insurgents) is so great that our death toll is paltry in comparison to theirs.

I think the rank and file American soldier has gone soft because of this reliance on technology. As a civilian, I have seen many of these guys come home from their tour of duty in Iraq and Afghanistan, and I am in better physical condition than they are, and I am not exceptionally fit by any stretch of the imagination. I have actually seen enlisted men who would be classified by the medical community as nearly obese. This is unacceptable.

Now I do have to offer one caveat to this. When I say the U.S. military, if stripped of its technology, would not do well in combat with less technologically sophisticated adversaries, I am speaking specifically of your rank and file infantry. The Special Forces divisions of our military (i.e. Green Berets, Marine Force Recon, Army Rangers, Navy Seals, Delta Force, AFSOC, etc.) are a completely different story. These guys are the best of the best in the world, with our without their gear and techological support. However, being special forces, these guys are the exception and not the rule.

In short I am not looking forward to the day when other nations start to match us in terms of technological advancement. This is going to happen sooner than later. With the financial, technological and military ascendancy of countries like China and Russia we cannot afford to become complacent, as we already have.

Answer 4

Who do you think were fighting in Vietnam? People who wanted to be there fighting? Does draft ring a bell?

I think today's society in America isn't what it used to be and for that reason the military doesn't have as many tough men joining.

But If you give the U.S. a fight really worth fighting for we will win. A fight for freedom. A fight for others freedom.

Answer 5

What happened in Vietnam? Was there a single battle the US forces didn't win?

Our strength comes from the training and courage instilled in the men. Gen. Pershing (US Army) said the world's greatest weapon was a Marine and his rifle.

If you want to know the answer, look at WWII when the US Marine faced some of the most fanatic fighters in the world. They did it on their own courage. The US Marine is respected around the world for being one of the world's most ferocious fighters.

Answer 6

i don't think it has to do with the technology really- like the equipment and stuff i mean...

most of it doesn't work half the time anyways.

and no one knows how to use the rest, because they keep changing stuff. everyone is constantly going to classes on how to use it....

vietnam is just one war in our history, where we had no prevail.... just think of the other wars that we participated in and the outcome we wanted is what happened....

i would like to say it is the men and women that are in the military that are the people who will give us the chance to get the outcome hoped for.

Answer 7

Are we actually beating them?  

We can win the war, but we're having one helluva time trying to win the PEACE.